Annie's Win
by Annie Flickerman
Summary: Annie's last moments in the arena and her victory.


I can't remember much about the Reaping. I just remember the escort, there on the stage, calling my name, and me stumbling blindly through the crowds. Most of the kids in my District are known as "careers", but I've never trained for the Games, so I'm not considered one. I honestly never thought I'd be called. My District isn't necessarily the biggest one but it isn't very small, either, and my age group is the largest of all the others.

I'm sitting under a tree now, reminiscing. I won't last much longer, that much I know. I thought I had a chance, at first, when the boy from my District wanted to become my ally. He WAS a career: a good one. Until he got beheaded.

I think this is what it feels like to go insane. My thoughts are disconnected, thinking back to all these events that happened; all the things that led me to where I am now.

I lean my head back against the tree and stare up through the branches. I'm thinking of what time it might be and counting the seconds and then my mind is reeling with the thoughts of the boy I love back at home. Finn. My Finn. He might be watching, right now. I almost smile.

Why, though? He's about to watch me get killed, most likely. It's only a matter of time now. I sigh and rub my forehead, ready to cry, until I hear footsteps approaching.

I rise to my feet instantly and take off running, as fast as I can manage. I have no weapons. I have no food. No supplies of any sort. Even if I manage to outrun them, it won't last very long. I'll be dead before the night is over.

That's when I hear it. It's loud and sounds like thunder, but it's coming from the ground. My mind tells me to keep running but I stop anyways.

The others have come to a stop, as well: I no longer hear their running feet behind me. I'm staring down at the ground intently, trying to prepare myself for what could happen now. My breathing is loud and heavy, so much that at first I can't make out what the sound is. Then, I realize what it is.

Water. Running water. My saving grace.

The ground begins to split open. The others behind me shriek and start running away from the gap, but I stay where I am, peering down into the crack. Sure enough, there it is: pure, beautiful water, rising towards the surface and starting to bubble out of the crack.

I'm stripping down now, removing my shirt, my sneakers, and my heavy cargo pants that they'd issued me before the games. No need for unnecessary weight.

The water is now washing over my feet, making me shiver in delight. It's been too long since I've felt the cool water. I can't wait to have my entire body submerged in it again.

The others are out of sight now, I notice as I look around. They've probably climbed up into trees; but, the gamemakers will have thought of that. The water is going to be much higher than the very highest treetops. I stretch my arms out, preparing myself.

It takes only a few minutes before I'm floating. I take a few strokes, swimming over to the nearest tree and grasping one of the branches. I climb up a little ways and wait for it to rise further, shivering a little from the air hitting my wet skin.

In no time, the water is getting very, very high. Trees are becoming submerged. I decide it's time, and dive into the water. This is where I belong, I think to myself. I can win this.

I swim at a slow, easy pace. No reason to hurry yet. The others are probably still up in the last trees, waiting it out for as long as they can.

By the time the sun is down, the arena is nothing but a large ocean, no trees in sight, and one cannon has gone off. I'm still swimming, though a little faster. I've noticed the others in the distance; but, there's one missing, of course. My guess is that the person didn't know how to swim and they didn't feel like risking their own lives to help him or her out.

I keep swimming, and swimming, and swimming. The arena is turning to daylight and I'm still swimming. I've stopped looking for the other tributes, but two more cannons have gone off.

My thoughts are all on Finnick now. My Finnick. My wonderful Finnick. I'm going to win this, and I'm going to see him again. I smile to myself. Something worth living for.

The night is coming again. There's only two of the others left now. Only two! My mind is reeling; but, it has been all day. I still think I've lost my mind. Everything is so distant. The only reason I'm swimming is because I like it, and because I keep imagining that way on the other side of the arena, when I finally get there, Finn will be there.

Another cannon goes off. I'm right in the center of the arena now, sighing out happily and splashing my arms in the water as a small child would. My head tilts back and I shout out to nothing in particular.

"THANK YOU!"

Maybe I'm thanking the gamemakers. Maybe I'm thanking an unseen force that gave me a bit of luck today. Maybe I'm just thanking mother earth for wonderful, glorious water.

"Thank y-," I start to say it again, but then I feel a tug on my ankle and I'm underwater. My arms flail around wildly, my lungs filling with water since I hadn't had time to take a breath. The other tribute is there, grinning maliciously at me. The boy from District 1.

I'm staring at him with wide eyes, kicking wildly against his grasp; but, he's not letting go. Tears would be in my eyes from lack of breath, but even if they are forming they're washed away by the water all around me.

I try to shout at him, but that only results in me taking more water into my lungs. My feet are still kicking out at him, but he catches both of my ankles and pulls me down into the water further. Further and further I'm going, until I can't see the light streaming into the water any more. All is dark. This is it, Annie. No more Finnick. No more District 4. No more glorious, glorious water. No more Finnick...

To hell with that. My foot gives another strong kick, and this time his grasp isn't even firm enough to stop it. My toes collide with something. As my foot pulls back, I think I feel his jaw and chin against my toes, so I figure I kicked him in the throat because he's let go of me. As I kick off to swim towards the surface, I pay another kick to the top of his head for good measure. I surface, gasping for air and coughing out spurts of water. No time to lose, though.

I take off swimming as fast as I possibly can, splashing wildly through the water. So close. So very close, that was. I'm already halfway between the center and one edge of the arena by the time I slow down. I'm breathing hard, feeling as if I'm about to sink into the water though I won't allow myself. I start slowly treading water to try and preserve strength.

But then, I hear it: the most relieving sound I've ever heard, which is quite sadistic of me to think. It's true, though. It's happened. Finnick was right. I AM strong enough to survive.

The last cannon has fired.


End file.
